Most existing information retrieval systems simply speed up the process of acquiring information about information. Full-text and non-bibliographic databases do have advantages but the real need is for systems which present information in the form the end-user requires. In a few narrow areas, this has been achieved through advances in artificial intelligence leading to the creation of expert systems which provide answers to appropriate questions. Along with developments in mathe matical software and, possibly, machine trans lation, expert systems could eventually bring about changes in information use, both in research and education, which have long been the subject of speculation. To avoid the danger of making access to information dependent on the form in which it is stored, librarians should take an interest in these developments.
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